1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods of measuring a person's height at a venue, such as an amusement park. The present invention relates more particularly to methods of managing entrance to a ride or attraction at a theme park according to height requirements.
2. General Background and State of the Art
In many resorts, such as theme parks, attractions and rides place limits on the acceptable heights of a patron or guest participating in the attraction or ride. Most often, this will be a limit on the minimum height of a guest, and may be chosen for safety reasons or to ensure that the guest will have an acceptable view of the surroundings in the attraction. Within one resort or park, a number of attractions may each have different height limits, and the measurement methods may vary from attraction to attraction. For example, a resort may have 16 attractions that require employees to measure guests manually for five different heights of 52 inches, 48 inches, 46 inches, 40 inches and 35 inches. A guest at such a resort typically will be measured at each attraction individually, before the guest is permitted to participate.
Presently, such resorts generally employ a manual height verification system to monitor the height requirements for various attractions, relying on the judgment of individual attraction operators in the use of various incompatible height markers or measurement systems unique to each attraction.
There is a need for a standardized height measuring apparatus and method that eliminates the need for multiple measurements of guests at various attractions, and increases measurement consistency.